You don't have to do it alone: How mentoring builds community

Chris Walters, a student on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Law Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee, shares how mentoring has ensured he doesn’t have to walk the path to qualification alone.

I’m a big believer that you should accept an offer of help when you need it. Studying law can be intense. There are cases to read, books to study, exams to take, and presentations to give. Some students, like me, must work alongside our degree and diploma, balancing a demanding course with the necessity of paid employment. Alongside that, each of us must figure out what type of law we are interested in by attending talks, law fairs, open days, and hopefully, eventually, securing a traineeship. It can be a lonely and exhausting road, especially if you don’t have family or friends who have walked it before. That’s why when I heard about the Law Society of Scotland’s mentoring scheme, I was keen to take part.

Looking at the online platform, I was incredulous at first because it seemed too good to be true. In the early career stream, you can search for potential mentors based on their area of law, type of firm, and location. Pages of smiling trainee solicitors and early career solicitors look back at you as you scroll, ready to extend a hand to those coming after them. It was hard to believe that so many brilliant people were willing to give up their time to help students like me. But it is true.

Eventually, I was matched with Emily Ward, who is nearing the end of her traineeship. Emily’s help has made all the difference; in meeting once a month online, she has helped me with my CV, given invaluable feedback on my traineeship applications, and shared relevant traineeship advertisements that I had not spotted. More than that, Emily has made me feel welcome in the Scottish legal community. She’s listened to me complain about tortuous application forms, commiserated with me when interviews haven’t led to offers, and always encouraged me to keep pushing forward even when I’ve felt like giving up. Instead of walking this road alone, I have my mentor Emily beside me.

The power of mentoring

It’s not the only time the power of mentoring has struck me. I recently completed ten weeks of mini devilling with the Faculty of Advocates. Rachel Breen was assigned as my devil-master, and her mentoring was excellent. She helped demystify the life of an Advocate, improved my advocacy skills, and most importantly, made me feel like there could be a place for me in the Faculty. The importance of having someone to look up to can’t be understated. I’m still feeling the buzz of inspiration from mini devilling, that I’m sure will propel me for years to come.

I work part-time at the Longford Trust, where mentoring is an essential component of the package of support we offer our scholars. The Longford Trust is a charity which helps people who have been to prison to achieve at university and beyond. We provide one-to-one mentoring, a financial award, and employability help. My colleagues and I constantly hear how mentors are a bridge between two very different worlds for our scholars, easing their transition to life in the community.

I know that a good mentor really can change someone’s life.

Building community

Mentoring with Emily and the Law Society of Scotland hasn’t just been about securing a traineeship, it’s been about building my confidence and engendering a sense of belonging. In these difficult times, both locally and globally, each of us can make an impact by helping those around us.

The Law Society offers mentoring to everyone in the profession, whether you’re looking for support at university or you are qualified and seeking advice on a career move or insight into different opportunities. It can be hard to ask for help, but I can confidently say that seeking advice from those who have already achieved what you’ve set out to do, can make a huge difference.

If you’re thinking that you would like to be a friend on the road in someone’s career journey, make someone feel like they belong, or be a bridge to success, mentoring is for you. I believe it helps build a strong, inclusive, and diverse legal community.

More information on being a mentor or a mentee can be found on our website.

The Author: Chris Walters is a student on the Diploma in Professional Practice at the University of Edinburgh, a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Equality & Diversity Committee, Fundraising Manager at the Longford Trust, and a trustee at the Human Rights Consortium Scotland.